Warren, PA, Dec 03, 2010 — Forty-five years ago, the federal government built the Kinzua dam on the Alleghany River, just south of the New York border in northwestern Pennsylvania. The government said it was needed to control flooding in the Pittsburgh area.

150 families from the Seneca Nation were forcibly removed from the area. Their homes were burned and bulldozed. Their sacred longhouse and burial grounds were flooded by the rising waters.

This week, the Seneca Nation made a bid to become owner of the Kinzua dam. The federal license of the current operator, FirstEnergy of Akron, Ohio, expires in 2015. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will decide who gets a new 50-year license.

Robert Odawi Porter is the Seneca Nation president. He told David Sommerstein granting the Senecas the license to operate the Kinzua dam would correct what he calls a "grotesque injustice."  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Aug 27, 2010 — Women are the traditional leaders in Iroquois culture. Their models of government and leadership were seeds for the U.S. Constitution and the women's suffrage movement. But the reservation system, Indian boarding schools, and racism helped weaken the matrilineal connection among the Iroquois people. This weekend, a hundred Iroquois women will convene at a heritage center in Akwesasne. They'll use conversation and sweat lodges, and also Power Point and Facebook, to try to reassert women's traditional roles amidst the fast pace of modern life. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Nov 28, 2008 — The Iroquois lost over 95% of their land base to European settlers. How is it possible to be an Iroquois leader when your people are impoverished anmd the dominant government pursues an aggressive policy of assimilation and termination? Laurence Hauptman considers these issues in his new book, Seven Generations of Iroquois Leadership, the Six Nations since 1800. Betsy Kepes has this review.  Go to full article

Oct 05, 2006 — In their weekly series on North Country place names, Dale Hobson and Gregory Warner discuss a bogus origin for the name "Oswegatchie" as well as the truth... we also hear from Chris Angus, editor of "Oswegatchie: A North Country River".  Go to full article

Sep 13, 2005 — An exhibit at the Brush Art Gallery at St. Lawrence University explores the past, present, and future of the Iroquois Confederacy through the eyes of its members. It's called Following in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors: An Exhibition of Hotinonshonni Contemporary Art. 'Hotinonshonni' is the Onondaga word for the Iroquois Confederacy. A gallery reception and discussion is scheduled for Thursday night at 7. David Sommerstein took a gallery tour with curators, Sue Ellen Hearne, program coordinator at the Akwesasne Museum, and artist Katsitsionni Fox.  Go to full article

Oct 02, 2003 — For generations, Mohawks and other Native Americans have built the world's most famous buildings and bridges, including the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. They work the "high steel," a dangerous profession practiced hundreds of feet above the ground. The skill and craft of ironworking took center stage last month near Syracuse in a sort of ironworker olympics. Ironworkers competed in events like knot-tying, wrench throwing, and the 30-foot column climb. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Aug 07, 2003 — The Mohawk ironworkers are famous for building America's tallest skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center towers. But less is known about how the ironworker trade fits into the cultural fabric of several Iroquois Nations. This fall Turning Stone casino in central New York will host an ironworker festival and competition to spotlight the skills and tradition of native high steelworkers. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Jul 11, 2003 — Members of all six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy will gather tomorrow for the first time in decades. They plan to criticize casino and land claim deals pending in New York and the tribal councils that negotiated them. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Feb 06, 2002 — The Oneida Nation will host a national conference on "hate groups" this spring at their casino in Upstate New York. It's the third such meeting the Nation has sponsored. David Sommerstein has more.  Go to full article

Jun 19, 2000 — In the 1940s, Ray Fadden [Tehanetorens] began to teach young Mohawks about their own culture. With a group of young men from the reservation, he traveled to collect information about Mohawk history and trained them in woodsmanship and other traditional arts. Fadden later founded the Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota, where an impressive collection of historical Iroquois artifacts are exhibited.  Go to full article